What Is Early Recovery of Physical Abilities After Wedge Resection Surgery for Patients With Bone Tumor? An Observational Study

Abstract

Background: The aim of this study is to describe the course of recovery of physical ability for patients undergoing lung wedge resection surgery for bone tumor metastases using the 1-minute sit-to-stand (1MSTS) test. Methods: All patients undergoing wedge resection for localized lung metastases from January 2022 to July 2023 were recruited consecutively. The recovery of physical performance was assessed by conducting the 1MSTS test the day before surgery and every day after surgery. A comparison was made between the number of repetitions performed in the preoperative test vs the performance on the sixth postoperative day. Results: A total of 52 patients were enrolled. The median age was 51 years and women made up 44.2% of the sample. The 1MSTS test on the sixth day was conducted in all patients with a median number of repetitions of 17.5, with a value comparable to the preoperative median. The patients able to recover to the preoperative repetitions were 38%. Multivariate analysis showed female gender as a protective factor and previous respiratory comorbidities and previous surgery to the upper limbs/trunk as risk factors. During preoperative assessment, higher heart rate and lower oxygen saturation (SpO2) after 1MSTS test were also predictors of a worse postoperative outcome. Conclusion: After wedge resection surgery for lung metastasis, the recovery of physical ability should be encouraged from the early postoperative phases and can be monitored through the use of the 1MSTS test during hospitalization. Aerobic training exercises in the preoperative phase may be useful to improve preoperative performance.